The Specialty Food Association's Lifetime Achievement Awards celebrate individuals who are widely recognized as having grown the industry, improved the Association, inspired companies, and nurtured individuals over long careers in specialty food. Unlike SFA’s Leadership and Hall of Fame Awards, Lifetime Achievement honorees are not nominated but rather selected by the SFA Recognition Council from past SFA Hall of Fame inductees. 

From the trio who founded Dean & Deluca to the specialty tea evangelists behind Bigelow Tea and many other pioneers, SFA’s Lifetime Achievement Award winners have all had a hand in making specialty food into the booming business it is today. 



Meet the Past Winners

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  • 2015 Lifetime Achievement award winner

    Giorgio Deluca, Joel Dean & Jack Ceglic

    Dean & DeLuca
    2015
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  • 2015 Lifetime Achievement award winner

    John Roberts

    Specialty Food Association/NASFT
    2015
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  • 2015 Lifetime Achievement award winner

    Steve Reich

    Charlotte Charles
    2015
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  • 2014 Lifetime Achievement award winner

    Anthony R. "Tony" Matthews OBE

    Food From Britain
    2014
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  • 2014 Lifetime Achievement award winner

    Harold Anderson

    Haddon House Food Products Inc.
    2014
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  • 2014 Lifetime Achievement award winner

    Mario Foah

    Foah International
    2014
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  • 2014 Lifetime Achievement award winner

    Max Ries

    Reese Finer Foods
    2014
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  • 2014 Lifetime Achievement award winner

    Russ Vernon

    West Point Market
    2014
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